Calling on filmmakers worldwide to submit short films visualizing some aspect of Iranian art,culture, and heritage, Farhang Foundation's annual online short film festival offers contestants the opportunity to compete for $10,000 (first prize), $5,000 (second prize), and $3,000 (third prize).

"Since the launch of this film festival, we have successfully presented over $120,000 in cash prizes to talented filmmakers with a passion for Iranian culture. What the filmmakers are giving back to us with their amazing films is definetly truly priceless," said Mark Amin, Farhang's Film Festival committee Chair, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees. "We are thrilled to once again organize this festival for the eighth year in a row and certainly look forward to seeing this year's thrilling submissions"!

The submissions period opens on Monday April 18, 2016 and ends on Monday July 18 2016. The award ceremony, during which the winning submissions will be screened before a live audience, will take place on Saturday September 24, 2016 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The evening will also include red-carpet arrivals, extensive media coverage of the event and the participating contestants, and a reception following.

Farhang Foundation is also pleased to announce its esteemed jury panel for this year's festival. The impressive group is comprised of a diverse and talented team of Iranians, each with a unique background in film.

Jury panel include Jamsheed Akrami, filmmaker and professor of film at William Paterson University; Rakhshan Banietemad, legendary and award winning filmmaker of such classics as Nargess, Under the Skin of the City and The Blue Veiled; Sepideh Farsi, groundbreaking filmmaker of such notable films as The House Under The Water and Red Rose; Bahram Radan, award-winning actor and box office star of some of the top grossing Iranian films of all time, including The Musician and Doubt; and Mark Amin, who previously served as vice chairman and member of the board of directors at Lionsgate Entertainment, and is currently CEO of Sobini Films and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of Farhang Foundation and Farhang's film festival committee chair.

"We are honored to have such an acclaimed and dynamic panel presiding over this year's film festival," said Mark Amin, "As our festival continues to grow each year, and the submissions continue to exceed our expectations, the unique insight and perspective of an expert panel such as this year's becomes essential in examining the submissions thoughtfully and judiciously."

Submissions are to be less than 9 minutes in length, can be of any genre or style, visualizing an aspect of Iranian art, history, culture, crafts, geography, cuisine, or lifestyle that will inspire and spark the audience's interest in learning more about Iranian culture. In keeping with the spirit of Farhang Foundation - a non-religious and non-political organization - it is advised that submissions should refrain from endorsing or opposing any religious or political position.

All entries will be judged for creativity, quality, and originality by a diverse jury comprised of film industry professionals, academicians, and Farhang Foundation's Film Festival Committee and Board of Trustees. Views expressed by the filmmakers do not represent those of Farhang Foundation or its Board Members and Management.

For more information, including submission guidelines, deadlines, and past winners, visit the official Festival website at FarhangFilmFest.org.

About The Jury

Jamsheed Akrami
Dr. Jamsheed Akrami is a scholar of Iranian cinema. A former editor of Iranian film magazines, he has published extensively, presented numerous lectures, curated film series, and produced a number of films, including the feature-length documentaries The Lost Cinema, on political filmmaking under the Shah, andFriendly Persuasion, on Iranian cinema after the 1979 revolution. The films were screened in international film festivals and enjoyed theatrical runs and television screenings in US and Canada. A Cinema of Discontent completes Jamsheed Akrami's trilogy on Iranian cinema. Mr. Akrami is a film professor at William Paterson University, where he teaches Film as a Medium, Film as Cross-cultural Communication, and Film and Civic Engagement. He was also a visiting professor of film at Columbia University for several years.

Mark Amin
Mark Amin is currently the CEO of Sobini Films, a motion picture production and financing company. Through Sobini Films, Amin has produced a diverse slate of feature films, including The Prince & Me and Peaceful Warrior. Recent films include Eliza Graves, starring Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley, Kate Beckinsale and Jim Sturgess, based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. Girl Most Likely is his most recent film released theatrically during the summer of 2013. Mr. Amin served as Vice Chairman and member of the board of directors of Lionsgate Entertainment from 2000 to 2009. Prior to his work with Lionsgate and Sobini, Amin founded Trimark Holdings, Inc. and served as the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under Amin's leadership, Trimark soon developed into one of the entertainment industry's leading independent production and distribution companies. Amin's past credits include the critically acclaimed Eve's Bayou and Frida, which was nominated for five Oscars and won two. In addition to film production, he is actively involved in the acquisition and development of pistachio and almond orchards in central California, with more than 8,000 acres under management. Mr. Amin holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Kansas and an MBA from UCLA.

Rakhshan Banietemad
Rakhshan Banietemad started to make documentaries for the Iranian National Television immediately after graduating from the University of Dramatic Arts, Tehran. In 1987, she directed her first feature film Off The Limits, and in 1991, she became the first woman recipient of the Best Director award at Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran for Nargess. In 1995, she won the Bronze Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival for The Blue Veiled. Her next film, Under the Skin of the City, was the highest grossing film in Iran in 2000. That film, along with Gilaneh (2005) and Mainline (2006), garnered major awards in more than 50 film festivals. While Banietemad's feature films have been acclaimed and honored worldwide, her documentaries have also been successful and popular internationally. Our Times, was the first documentary ever to be released in Iranian movie theaters. It was also shown in highly prestigious and prominent festivals and TV channels such as IDFA, Sundance Film Festival and ARTE.

Sepideh Farsi
Born in Tehran, Sepideh Farsi moved to Paris to study mathematics, but soon drifted towards film. After some shorts, her documentary Homi Sethna Filmmaker won several awards. Followed by Harat and Tehran Without Permission, which both premiered in Locarno. Her first two features Derams of Dust and The Gaze premiered in Rotterdam. She then directed The House Under Water, followed by Red Rose, which premiered in TIFF 2014 and has just finished Despo, Labros, Spyridoula & Papandreou.

Bharam Radan
Bahram Radan is an award-winning Iranian actor. While studying Business Management in college, Radan signed up for acting classes where he was discovered as an emerging talent. He got his first break when he was given an opportunity for his first role starring in the movie The Passion of Love. The movie achieved great success at the Iranian box office and was one of the top grossing movies of 2000. Radan has since starred in many films and has become a popular household name in the Middle East, often referred to as one of the top five superstars of Iranian cinema. His extreme popularity caused Iranian authorities to ban his images from billboards in 2008. In 2010, he was chosen by United Nations as the first Iranian UN Ambassador Against Hunger.

About Farhang FoundationFarhang Foundation is a non-religious, non-political and not-for-profit foundation established in 2008 to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large. The foundation supports a broad range of academic activities in Southern California by funding university programs, publications and conferences. The foundation also supports diverse cultural programs such as the celebration of Nowruz, Shabe-Yalda, Mehregan, theater and dance performances, film screenings and poetry readings in Southern California. And, in cooperation with various cultural and academic institutions, Farhang Foundation funds major programs and exhibitions about Iran and its culture. However, the content, viewpoints or biases expressed by individual artists, academics, institutions or events supported by the foundation belong solely to each individual party and do not necessarily reflect the views of Farhang Foundation. For more info visit Farhang.org